How To Choose Your Upline

By Uche Onyema
Posted Monday, November 15, 2004

Statistics say 95% of Internet Marketers don’t make any money online. This sad failure rate will probably not improve in the near future either because so many newbies, and old hands, are being left without enough support from their upline or sponsors. There are many sponsors, especially the very successful ones, who don’t even bother replying emails from their downline. This is a very worrying trend and it violates a very important principle of network marketing which says that success comes by helping others succeed. So how come some heavy hitters are successful without helping the struggling members in their downline? Well, it has been made possible by the internet and the enormous 24 hour global market it makes accessible, coupled with the vast number of automated marketing tools.

Unlike the traditional offline network marketing where it was practically impossible to sponsor someone into a downline
without meeting or speaking with them, the internet has made it possible for heavy hitters to sponsor hundreds, and even thousands of people, into their downlines without ever communicating with them on a personal level. Autoresponders are the order of the day. Many people join affiliate programs after seeing ads in google, ezines, classifieds etc without first exchanging emails with the sponsor. After paying their monthly subscriptions, part of which the sponsors earns as commission, for a few months they give up because they have little or no success and probably never received an email or a call from their sponsor. Of course the heavy hitting sponsor does not care much about this because he or she has already earned good

commissions before they quit and can quickly replace them using their huge automated marketing system working 24-7 to recruit more people.

It is time internet marketers who have experienced this in the past took their destinies into their hands and choose their upline or sponsors instead of the other way round. How can I do that, I hear you ask? Well, by demanding value for your money. That’s right, your upline earns a commission out of your monthly subscriptions so it is your right to receive good service in return. In this case the service includes training, mentoring and answering your emails. It is a great idea to receive and evaluate the service first before paying and that is where free to join affiliate programs are very useful.

How many of us will go into a restaurant, pay for the food first and then walk out after waiting for about an hour for the food to arrive. I dare say no one will and I believe we should see internet marketing programs in the same way as we do a restaurant. Receive the service, evaluate it, if you are happy with it then pay for it otherwise complain and if possible have your bill waived. So if you are in an affiliate program and you don't receive sufficient help from your sponsor complain to the company and ask to be reassigned. Stop paying your sponsors for a service you never
receive.

The great thing about free to join affiliate programs is that you can really give the sponsor a test drive before you decide to join his or her downline. Most affiliate webpages have contact details for the webpage owner, who would be your sponsor after you join the program. So after you decide you want to join a particular program, especially if it is not free to join, I suggest you test your potential sponsor to ensure you will get a good service if you join their downline. Ask them all the questions you have and seek all the help you need and if you receive good and valuable service then you can go ahead and signup. If you are unhappy with the answers or help given, or you don't receive a reply then try another affiliate's page. The best way to do this is by entering the main URL of the company and in most cases you'll be randomly sent to the website of an affiliate. Ask the same questions and also note how quickly the sponsor responds each time because you don't want to signup under someone who takes one or two weeks to respond to your emails. Keep trying different affiliate pages until you find a potential sponsor you know will give you the support you need. If it is a free program with an upgrade option I suggest you signup for free initially and continuing testing your sponsor to ensure you have indeed chosen the right one. Some sponsors will respond to emails in an attempt to encourage their downline to upgrade and after they upgrade the help dissipates, but only the genuinely helpful sponsors will be able to pass rigorous tests that involve offering lots of help and answering lots of
questions.

Your initial email may receive a good or average response but after that the sponsor may become impatient and not bother replying or may send an inadequate reply. That would obviously be your cue to find another sponsor because you need a sponsor who will be willing and patient enough to properly answer your questions and genuinely help you. That is what Multi-level marketing is about, achieving success by helping those below you to succeed.

Summary:

1) Before joining affiliate programs send an email to the owner of the webpage or the ad you saw. Ask all the questions you have and seek to establish what help you'd receive after joining. Make a note of the quality of the responses and the times it takes to receive a response.

2) If unhappy with the potential sponsor go to the company's main URL and you will be randomly assigned to another
sponsor's webpage. Ask the same questions and decide if you want to signup under this person. Keep repeating this step until you find a sponsor you are happy with.

3) Signup. If the program has a free option choose that option first and continue seeking help from your sponsor. If you are happy with the service you receive from your sponsor then upgrade otherwise ask the company to reassign you to another sponsor.

About the Author
Uche Onyema is a successful newsletter publisher, internet marketer, copywriter and mentor. With a degree in Computer Engineering, Uche has a good understanding of the technologies behind the internet and the business principles required to succeed online.

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